Process for cracking oil



C. P. DUBBS PROCESS FOR CRACKING OIL I Aug. 11, 1925.

Filed Dec. 9, 1920 Carbon Pl-Iubbs 3% [MW- I Patented .lAug ill, 1925.

cannon 2. mines, or wrmunrrn, fur-armors, assrorroa 'ro UNIVERSAL orr. rnonucrs COMPANY, or cnrcaeo, ILLINOIS, a CORPORATION or sou'rn DAKOTA.

rlnocnss ron' caacxnre OIL.

' To all whom it may concern:

/Be it known that I, CARBON P. Dunes, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city ofLWilmette, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Cracking Oil, of which the following is a specifito vertical expansion chamber 19.

cation.

' This invention relates to improvements in processes for cracking oil and refers more particularly to the mannerof handling the carbon containing residue which is one of the principal problems in the commercial operation of the cracking process.

, In the present invention, the oil, preferably in liquid phase, is delivered to i an expansion or vapor chamber where vaporization takes place and the oil andthe carbon isprecipitated. T have alternate expansion chambers for receiving the carbon, one of which may be cleaned while the other is in use. It is highly desirable, however, that when one of the chambers iscut into the system, that it be cut in at the desired operating pressure and that the vapor chamher be not too cold. The present invention is-also directed to the method and means ofaccomplishing this.

In the drawing, the single figure representsa somewhat diagrammatic view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of my improved apparatus. 1 r Referring particularly to the drawing, 1 designates the furnace having burner 2, bridge wall 3, stack 4 and combustion chamher. 5. In the combustion chamber is mounted the heating element or chamber 6 which may take the form of a 3 to 6 continuous coil of pipe. Oil is supplied to the inlet end. of this coil through feed line 7 havingthrottle valve 8 connected to the discharge side of pump 9. The inlet side of the pump is connected by pipe 10 having throttle valve lltoany suitable source of raw oil supply.

The dischargeend of the coil is connected "to transfer line 12 having throttle valve. 13. This transfer line 12 has one branch it having throttle valve 15 leading to expansion chamber 16. It also has a second branch 17 having throttle valve 18 leading Each expansion chamber is provided with the liquid residue drawoif pipe 20 controlled by throttle valve 21 and may be mdependently heated by means of the burners 22.

Application filed December 9,51920. Serial No. 429,306..

Means are provided for introducing raw oil to the expansion chamber through pipes 23 controlled by valves.24, the pipes 23 being suitably connected to a pressure pump for forcing oil under pressure into the vapor ,chambers. This oil, introduced through the pipes 23, is used onl to raise a vapor chamber initially'to dGSII'Bdpressure, before it is out into the system and while the other one is being cleaned. The oil so introduced is gradually withdrawn through the pipes 20 as soon as the vapor chamber in question is open to the heating coil. The oil should be withdrawn in such a way as to prevent the pressure on the system dropping below that required. Th il so drawn out through the pipe-2O may. b3 conveyed to a suitable. receptacle and if desired, reused for the same purpose, the carbon containing residue, as the process proceeds, should be withdrawn out of the vapor chamber in use to a suitable residuum tank.

The top of each vapor chamber is provided with avapor outlet pipe 25 having throttle valves 26 and 27 respectively. The pipes 25 connect to a header 28, which has a vapor pipe 29 leading to the lower side of dephlegmator 30. This dephlegmator 30 is provided with suitable comminuted baffling material 31. The upper end of the dephlegniator is provided with vapor pipe having throttle valve 33 and connected to the up-. per end of condenser coil 34seated in condenser box 35. The IOWBI'BDdOf the coil is connected to thetop of receiver 36, which receiver has liquid, level gauge 37 liquid' drawoii pipe 38, controlled by throttle valve 39 and gas outlet pipe 4D controlled by throtl I I tle. valve 41. The system is provided with suitable pressure gauges 42 as shown. The. reflux condensate is drawn from the bottom of the dephlegmator through pipe43 having throttle valve 44. leading to the suction side of the pump 9.

The process may Oil, as forexample, phaltic base crudes, may

be operated as follows: heavy fuel'oil or asbe fed continuously through the heating coil and heated to a 650 degrees F. to 850" temperature of say,

unds

degrees F. at a pressure of from to 300v pounds. keep the oil substantially w it is delivered to the vapor chamber. I suming that the vapor chamber 16 is first used, the vapor chamber 19 will be out out Care should be ta en-to in liquid phase as the heating coil; by suitably regulating the "vapor outlets of the vapor chambers.

valves 13. and 15 and the valves on ti:

s the process proceeds, carbon will accumulate in the chamber 16 even though the residue is drawn off, until eventually it will be" necessary to clean the chamber 16. Meantime, the heating tubes will .be substantially free from carbon and can be operated for a. much longer period'than the vapor chamber without cleaning. Before. attempting to cut the vapor chamber'lG out of the system, the chamber 19 is filled. with oil, by means of the pump connected to the pipe 23 leading to the vapor chamber 19. The burner 22 under chamber 19' may be lit and the oil heated so that the vapor chamber will not be cold. The vapor chamber may, if desired, be heated to the same temperature as the other one and maintained under an expanded liquid pressure by means'of heating the oil and by means of the supply pump connected to the pipe pump 23. When the vapor chantber has reached the desired pressure and temperature, it being understood that the entire system is plentifully supplied with thermometers to determine pressure and temperature, the valves 15 and 26 areclosed and the valves 18 and 27 opened. The chamber 19 now serves as the expansion chamber instead of the chamber 16 and the latter may.

be cleaned and put in condition to operate when the chamber 19 may need cleaning.

By this method, the process may be operated very smoothly and without any stress on the apparatus and in fact the vapor chambers may be interchanged without any fluctuation temperature or pressure on the rest of the apparatus. Nicety of control of temperature and pressure are frequently desirable in cracking processes and this. is

access lishedby means of my process. far as is also novel and patentable.

I claim as my invention: 1. A'process of cracking o il,consisting in heating the oil in the heating coil, passing it thence to one of a plurality of vapor chambers. where vaporization and carbon pre? cipitation takes place, periodically cutting this vapor chamber out of the systemic: cleaning and simultaneously cutting a secamaware the apparatus here shown ond vapor chamber into the system, said lat-terrvapor chamber at the time itis cut into the system being maintained under a predetermined oil pressure and temperature, substantially equal to the pressure and temperature of the first chamber at the time it was cut out of the system by externally heating a body of oil in said latter vapor chamber.

2. process of cracking oil, consisting in heating the oil in a heating coil, passing it thence to one of a plurality of vapor chambers where vaporization and carbon precipitation' takes place, periodically cutting this vapor chamber out of the system for clean- 'ing and simultaneously cutting a second vapor chamber into the system, said latter vapor chamber at the time it is cut into the system being maintained under a predeter mined oil pressure and temperature by externally heating a body of oil in said latter vapor chamber. V

3. A process of cracking oil consisting in heating the oil in aheating coil. passing it thence to one of a plurality of vapor chambers wherevaporization and carbon precipitation takes place, periodically cutting this vapor chamber out of the system for cleaning. and simultaneously cutting a second vapor chamber into the system, introducing a body of oil into the latter vapor chamber previously to the time it is cut intothe systern and maintaining said latter chamber under a predetermined oil pressure andtemperature equal to the pressure and temperature of the first chamber at the time it was cut out of the system by externally heating said body of oil in said latter vapor chamber.

a. A process of cracking oil consisting in heating a stream of oil to a cracking temperature, in passing the oil thence to aselec tive one of a plurality of conversion chambers where conversion of the coil occurs and where residuum forms, in periodically cut ting one of the conversion chambers out of the system for cleaning and simultaneously cutting into the. system a second conversion chamber. in maintaining a predetermined, temperature and superatmospheric pressure on said latter chamber at the time itis cut into the system. by externally heating therein a body of oil prior to cutting said latter chamber into the system. 1

5. An oil conversion process, consisting in heating a stream of oil to acracking temperature. in delivering the oil to one of enlarge'd alternative chambers, in diverting the stream of oil from said chamber when substantial coke-deposition has occurred therer in to the alternative chamber, and in heat- 5 ing said alternative chamber before diverting the oil stream by heating a body of oil introduced thereto'by applying'external heat to said alternative chamber.

6. A oil conversion process, consisting in continuously advancing a restricted stream of oil through a heating zone to be subjected to a cracking temperature, in transferring the moving stream of heated hydrocarbon material to one of alternative enlarged chambers, in diverting the continuously moving stream of heated hydrocarbons Without any 's'ubstantial interruption in its flow through the heating zone from said chamber when substantial carbon residue has accumulated therein to the alternate chamber, in

maintaining a snperatmospheric pressure on the oil undergoing conversion, in subjecting vapors generated from the oil converted in either of said chambers to reflux condensation, in recracking the reflux condensate by admitting the same to the heating zone, and in preventing the return of carbon containing residue from either chamber to the stream of oil in the heating zone.

CARBON P. DUBBS. 

